Deer-Forest Impacts Project

The Effect of Deer on Forest Health and the Future of New York Forests

The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) can significantly influence New York’s forests. Deer impact their own habitat, the habitat resources available to other species, and the forest ecosystem overall. Low-intensity browsing can have positive effects by opening up a dense understory and fostering species diversity. However, in many areas of the state deer browsing has become intensive. Through selective and intensive browsing, deer affect the kinds and numbers of plants present in an area, impair the growth of new trees, and shape the overall look or structure of the forest, both present and future. The changes brought about by deer can affect the quality of the forest and reduce available food and habitat for other wildlife species. The abundance and number of different types of songbirds, for example, is lower in forests heavily browsed by deer.

As selective browsers, deer prefer to eat certain plant species more than other less desirable species. Many of the tree species deer prefer to consume are valued for timber, or as food-producing trees for wildlife, such as oak (Quercus spp.) and maple (Acer spp.). Deer also eat many wildflower and understory plants such as trillium (Trillium spp.), Canada mayflower (Maianthemum canadense), and lady slippers (Cypripedium spp.). Deer tend to avoid eating less palatable species such as hay-scented ferns (Dennstaedtia punctilobula), and many invasive plant species such as garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) and barberry (Berberis spp.). By preferentially eating some species and leaving others behind, deer will reduce the biodiversity of a forest. Selective browsing is a negative force on the species deer prefer, and a positive force on the less palatable species. When the variety of species in the forest changes, the way that the forest ecosystem functions may also change, along with its resilience to natural disturbances and the quality of products and services provided to society.

In addition to changing the types of plants, deer can also change the structure (the number and sizes of trees and the layers of vegetation) of the forest. For example, over-browsing of tree seedlings and shrubs can eliminate those layers and create open, park-like stands with little or no forest understory. Loss of forest understory affects other wildlife too, including small mammals, insects, and songbirds that rely on the forest understory for cover, nesting sites, and food. Some animal species may become less abundant in heavily browsed areas, while others may disappear completely.

The effects of deer browsing on the composition and structure of New York forests can have long-lasting effects (also called “legacy” effects) that persist for decades even after deer impacts are reduced. In areas with a history of deer overabundance, regeneration failure – the failure of new, young trees to grow – is having a detrimental effect on current and future forests.

The document below (AVID- Assessing Vegetation Impacts from Deer) describes procedures used to measure vegetation to quantify the impacts deer are having on woodland vegetation. These field methods will be used by volunteers, landowners, foresters, and other natural resource professionals. Field data collected by individuals and organizations across New York State, and submitted to a central database, will be used to track tree, shrub, and wildflower response to deer browsing over time. Knowledge of how deer impacts change through time will help guide deer management decisions at local and state levels. Volunteer participants will document changes in forest plants on their own land, or land in their communities. They will also learn how to identify important spring wildflower and tree species, and recognize evidence of deer impacts based on the presence or absence of key wildflower, shrub, and tree indicator species.